Covering the Angels and baseball in general for MLB.com. E-mail me at Alden.Gonzalez@mlb.com and follow on Twitter @Alden_Gonzalez.

Results tagged ‘ Rex Hudler ’

The following is a release sent out by the team about an upcoming charitable game at the ballpark …

More than 900 children with physical and mental disabilities from 30 Challenger Division Little League teams throughout Orange County will experience the thrill of playing baseball at Angel Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 3, in the seventh annual Bank of America Orange County Little League “Challenger Classic.” The Challenger Classic, created through a partnership between the Angels Baseball Foundation and Bank of America, provides young players with the joy of playing America’s pastime alongside their baseball heroes and coaches, right on the field at Angels Stadium. The event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Four sets of games will be played starting at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., with each age division playing a two-inning, one-hour game on designated diamonds on the outfield grass at Angel Stadium. Scheduled to participate in this year’s Orange County Little League Challenger Classic are Angels pitcher Jerome Williams, Angels Third Base Coach Dino Ebel, Angels Bullpen Coach Steve Soliz, former Angels players Bobby Grich, Clyde Wright, Justin Speier and Rex Hudler and Angels Chairman Dennis Kuhl.

In addition to the current and former Angels, 200 Bank of America volunteers and local Little League “Buddies” will help make it a day to remember, including video display of the games on the Jumbotron, a team photo with an Angel player, special medal award ceremony near home plate and lunch.

Families, friends and baseball fans are invited to join Bank of America, the Angels Baseball Foundation at the Orange County Little League Challenger Classic. Enter at Angels Stadium at Gate 1. Seating is open.

Media planning to attend the day’s events are asked to contact the Angels’ Communications Department prior to their arrival.

Angels infielder Mark Trumbo and prospect catcher Hank Conger will be part of a group of past and present ballplayers who will compete in the Trinity Bat Company’s first Home Run Challenge on Saturday at El Dorado High School in Placentia, Calif. Trumbo, who’s nursing a stress fracture in his right foot, won’t participate in the competition, but will be there to sign autographs.

Proceeds from the event will go towards the Cory Hahn Fund, which benefits the SoCal product who was paralyzed from the chest down after an on-field injury while playing for Arizona State University last February. More information on the foundation can be found here.

Trumbo and Conger will be joined by Mike Carp of the Mariners and Danny Espinosa of the Nationals, among others. The event lasts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT — with the finals taking place at 2 — and will also include competitions at the high school, college and adult levels.

Chich-Fil-A will distribute food and Rex “The Wonder Dog” Hudler will conduct a live radio show. Fans can also enter raffles and auctions to win exclusively signed memorabilia and meet the players.

* The Angels announced that FanFest will take place on April 22, coinciding with the Angels 5K. The Angels will be three weeks into the regular season by April 22 (a Sunday), and will be finishing up a seven-game home stand against the Orioles that day. More information will be revealed at a later date.

With the Aybar signing, the Angels have taken care of all their arbitration-eligible players. Barring another move – and the club would still like to shore up the depth in their bullpen – they’ll go into the season with about $145 million committed to 18 players. All the others have less than three years service time and will thus make roughly $500,000, meaning the Angels’ payroll is currently expected to be about $150 million for 2012. Last year, they ranked fourth in the Majors with a payroll of about $138 million.

Here are some details on the Angels’ payroll obligations for 2012, a lot of which is compiled by the folks at Cot’s Contracts (note: this doesn’t include signing bonuses or incentives) …

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